RADFORD, Va. – The USC Upstate men's basketball team lost the second game of a two game series against Radford on Friday night, 102-66 inside the Dedmon Center.
 
Radford won the opening tip and scored on their first possession of the game and proceed to open up the game on a 7-0 run. Everette Hammond (Silver Springs, Md.) scored the Spartans first basket of the game at the 16:29 mark of the game. At the first media timeout of the half, the Spartans trailed the Highlanders 13-2.
 
Tommy Bruner (Columbia, S.C.) and Cartier Jernigan (Charlotte, N.C.) each got in the scoring column, but a 13-4 run by Radford had the Highlanders ahead 26-6 with 12:00 minutes to play in the opening half. Out of the timeout, Khydarius Smith (Fort Mill, S.C.) scored on a layup coming out of the media timeout.
 
The Spartan offense began to come alive for a bit in the final 10 minutes of the opening half but trailed 50-28 at the intermission break.
 
Coming out of the halftime break both teams went to the free throw line to score their first points of the half. Trailing 62-37 with 16:10 to play in the half, Smith made a pair of free throws that jump started the Spartan offense. Hammond finished the 16-5 run with a mid-range jumper in the paint and the Spartans cut the Highlanders lead to 67-52.
 
The 15-point deficit was the closest the Spartans would get the rest of the game as Radford pulled ahead 90-60 with 4:06 left to play in the game. With just five seconds to play in the game Dave Dickerson III (Inman, S.C.) connected on a pair of free throws to score his first career points.
 
Hammond led the Spartans with a 15-point, 4-rebound performance in the loss, Bruner added 12-points and a team high 3-assists. Bryson Mozone (North Augusta, S.C.) led the Upstate bench with 11-points, while Smith scored 10-points and team high 5-rebounds.  
 
Dravon Mangum and Quinton Morton-Robertson led Radford with 16-points each in the contest. Shaquan Jules added 11-points, while Lewis Djonkam contributed 10-points to round out the double-digit scoring for the Highlanders.
 
UP next for the Spartans
The Spartans return to the G.B. Hodge Center on Monday night to battle Gardner-Webb, tip-off is slated for 5:00 p.m. The game can be viewed on ESPN3 and regionally on the CW62.

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